Responses of polycystic ovarian syndrome and related variants to low-dose follicle stimulating hormone

Objective: To determine whether patients with classical polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) respond differently to low-dose FSH therapy in comparison with anovulatory patients (PCOS-like) where only some features of PCOS are present. Methods: Two groups of patients were studied. The PCOS group (25 patients, 51 cycles) and the PCOS-like group (38 patients, 57 cycles) were treated with the same protocol of purified FSH, commencing with an initial dosage of 75 IU/day and increasing by 37.5 IU/day after 14 days, where necessary. Estradiol levels and ultrasonographic evidence of follicular development were used for monitoring. Results: PCOS patients required more ampules of FSH, needed more days of gonadotropin stimulation, secreted higher levels of E-2 and had increased numbers of intermediate follicles compared to the PCOS-like group. Conclusions: This study demonstrated significant differences between PCOS and other PCOS-like conditions when treated with low-dose FSH. Classification of the subvariants of PCOS may have therapeutic implications. (C) 1997 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.